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Rohit Sharma, the much criticised India batsman, recently received some support from India batting coach Sanjay Bangar, who urged the critics to compare Rohit’s record to those of others at the same stage of their careers.

"If you look at the numbers, he has played 13 Test matches and scored 800-900 (870 runs) runs at an average of 40 with two centuries, four half-centuries. I think if his critics can go back and compare the first 13 Test matches of any other cricketer who has played for a while, I think they would probably be less harsh on Rohit," Bangar told ESPN Cricinfo.

Since Bangar asked, we obliged. We compared Rohit’s record to four of his contemporaries – Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina – as well as to a number of his predecessors to identity whether Bangar’s statement stands up to scrutiny.

As you can see from the table below, Rohit’s record at this stage of his career is similar to Kohli’s and much better than Raina’s, who is no longer part of India’s Test side. Pujara is the obvious outlier here and the table doesn’t capture his subsequent slide that cost him his place in the team.